Wednesday, April 18 2018 21:30

ArmInfo. The Mejlis of Iran at a meeting on April 18 by 162 votes in favor, 5 against and 5 abstentions approved a bill on the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Araks River. This is reported by the Armenian Embassy in Iran.

"On April 17, the Mejlis at a public meeting decided to start discussions with Armenia on the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Araks River." It is noteworthy that the program for the construction of the Meghri HPP has been on the agenda of economic cooperation between Armenia and Iran for many years, "the Armenian diplomatic mission said in Iran.

The Meghri hydropower plant was previously considered the most promising joint Armenian-Iranian project. Although the parties have come to the final stage of the project and announced the start of construction in November 2012, the work has not been started yet because of the limitations of Tehran because of the sanctions. If the project is completed, the station will become the largest in the Transcaucasus. Under the project, the construction of a $ 323 million facility will be financed by the Iranian investment company. Armenia will pay for its part of the project with electricity produced at the hydroelectric station itself, and after 15 years the hydroelectric power station will be transferred to the Armenian side.

While the Armenian-Iranian economic relations can not move from the dead point, after the lifting of sanctions, economic ties between Tehran and Baku sharply intensified. The Iranian parliament approved a bill on the joint construction of two hydroelectric power stations with Azerbaijan. The bill allows construction of power plants near the Araks River in the border area, in the Iranian city of Marazad and the Azerbaijani city of Ordubad. The document provides for cooperation in the construction of power stations at the dams of Khoda Afarin and Gyz Galasy, on the Araks River, as well as the construction of the Ordubad Power Station on the Azerbaijani side and the power plant in Marazada on the Iranian side. The ArmInfo agency reported that if the project is implemented, the water volumes for the Meghri hydropower plant in Armenia may simply not be enough. Earlier, adviser to the Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of Armenia Areg Galstyan stated that due to environmental problems related to the reduction of water volumes in the Araks River, as well as the increase of water intakes from Turkey in the northern part of Armenia, it was necessary to revise this project in the direction of power reduction. If initially it was planned to build two stations (Meghri - Armenia, Karachilar - Iran) for 130 MW each and a total power generation of about 850 million kW per year, now the option is considered with a capacity of 100 MW. In this regard, the diameter of the tunnel has been changed, along which water will flow between the two hydroelectric power stations.